Bag closure

ABSTRACT

A CLOSURE DEVICE FOR A PLASTIC BAG IS FORMED OF THE PLASTIC MATERIAL OF THE BAG ITSELF DURING MANUFACTURE OF THE BAG AND IS MADE BY PERFORATION AND SEAL LINES THAT FORM A KEEPER REMOVABLE FROM THE BAG. THE KEEPER HAS A LOOP END AND A SEAL REGION SPACED FROM THE LOOP END TO CLOSE THE LOOP. THE TAIL END OF THE KEEPER OPPOSITE THE LOOP IS WRAPPED AROUND THE NECK OF THE CLOSED BAG AND PULLED THROUGH THE LOOP. THE KEEPER IS SUFFICIENTLY WIDE AND FLEXIBLE SO THAT IT IS DRAWN DOWN TO A SUBSTANTIALLY NARROWER WIDTH WHERE THE LOOP AND TAIL ENGAGE TO HOLD THE BAG TIGHTLY CLOSED.

May 23, 1972 c L 3,664,575

BAG CLOSURE I Filed Nov. 20, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. CONNIE LAKE v BYW/ mas M ATTORNEYS C. LAKE BAG CLOSURE May 23, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet' :3

Filed NOV. 20, 1970 FIG. 7

FIG. 6

FIG. 9

, FIG. 8

FIG. I!

FIG. 10

CONNIE LAKE 4 I BY ffiw ATTORME YS United States Patent I Connie 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF DISCLOSURE "A closure device for a plastic bag is formed of the plastic material of the bag itself during manufacture of the bag and is made by perforation and seal lines that form a keeper removable from the bag. The keeper'has a loop end and a seal region spaced from the loop end to close the loop. The tail end of the keeper opposite the loop is wrapped around the neck of the closed bag and l pulled through the loop. The keeper is sufficiently wide and flexible so that it is drawn down to a substantially narrower width where the loop and tail engage to hold the bag tightly closed.

V THE INvENTIvE IMPROVEMENT Many attempts have been made to form a bag closure of the same material as the bag to eliminate extra parts such as tie wires, and to reduce the expense of providing separate closirresQThese attempts have failed for various reasons including difliculty or cost of manufacture, inconvenience in use, or failure to effect a tight and practical closure of the bag.

This invention involves analysis of the shortcomings of previous bag closure devices, and conception of a new closure device having many advantages over previous devices. The invention aims at simplicity, economy, and convenience in providing a reliable and secure bag closure.

SUMMARY OF TI-lE INVENTION The inventive bag closure uses a keeper made during the manufacture of aplastic bag,vand formed of the.plas tic material of the bag itself. A line of perforations formed through the bag in a multi thickness region of the bag outlines the keeper which is removablefromthe bag along the perforation line. One end of the keeper has..a loop, and a seal region spaced from the loop end of the keeper joins the multi layers of plastic material together to close the'loop. The end of the keeper opposite the loop end is formed as a tail for wrapping around the neck of the bag and drawing through the loop. Theloop and the tail are sufliciently wide and flexible to be drawndown to substantially smaller dimensions where they interengage to form "ice The" inventive bag closure is adaptable to most of these and generally involves a keeper formed of the material of the bag and removable from the bag for holding the bag closed. One preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1-5 and alternative, preferred embodiments are shown in FIGS. 6-12.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, bag 10 is formed of plastic material with a closed bottom 11 and an open top 12, with inwardly folded side panels 13 forming four thicknesses of plastic material along the sides of bag 10. Keeper 15 is preferably formed in the four-thickness region of side panels 13 as illustrated.

A perforation line 16 extends generally parallel with top 12 of bag 10 and is cut through the front and back panels and a pair of side panels 13 of bag 10 to outline keeper 15 which can be separated from bag 10 along perforation line 16. Line 16 preferably forms a notch 17 which is useful as explained below. A seal line 18 fuses all four layers of plastic together at one end of keeper 15, and another'perforation line 19 extends downward from the top 12 of bag 10 to join perforation line 16. Another seal line 20 preferably extends parallel with perforation line 16 toward one end of keeper 15.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the resulting keeper 15 has a loop end where its plastic layers are held together by seal line 18, and a loop 21 is formed between seal line 18 and seal line 20 which extends along the length of a tail 22. The layers of plastic material in keeper 15 can be spread apart between seal lines 18 and 20 to open loop 21.

Whenthe top of bag 10 is spread open as shown in FIG. 3, keeper 15 is torn loose from some of the bag panels along perforation lines 16 and 19, but unless keeper 15 is deliberately pulled entirely from bag 10 it remains attached to one of the panels as illustrated. It does not matter which panel keeper 10 remains attached to because any one of the four panels used to form keeper 15 is a secure hold when the tail is drawn tightly through the loop.

Drawings.

FIG. 1' is aplan view ofv one preferred'embodiment of the inventive bag closure;

' FIG. 2 is a topview of the bag of FIG. 1 with the bag slightlyexpanded;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an upper fragment of the bag of FIG. I spread open for loading; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a keeper removed from the bag of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bag of FIG. I loaded and closed with the keeper of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6-12 are fragmentary views of alternative preferred embodiments of the inventive bag closure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION equally satisfactory.

' After the bag is filled, keeper 10 is torn loose and used for holding the bag closed. This is accomplished by gatheringzupthe'openend of the bag to form a neck 23, Wrapping tail 22 around neck 23, threading tail 22 through loop'2'1, and pulling tail 2'2 tightly through'loop 21. This draws tail '22 and loop 21 .down into a knot-like relationship as shown in FIG. Swith notch17 located atthe inter-engagement of tail 22 and loop 21. Where they interengage, tail '22 and loop 21 are wrinkled and drawn tightly down. to a much narrower width facilitated by the narrowing of loop 21 at notch 17. Such wrinkling and squeezing down helps keeper 15 form a tight and secure engagement holding bag 10 closed. Tail 22 as pinched in notch 17, resists pulling back through loop 21 partly because tail 22 flares outward past loop 21 and must be squeezed down and deformed to pass back through loop 21.. The simple tail-and-loop closure proposed by the invention has surprising strength and holding ability and does not tend to slip loose in practice.

is formed of unsealed layers of plastic material and is similar in function to tail 22. The preferred notch 37 in loop 35 completes keeper 32 which is used in the same Way as previously described for keeper 15.

Bag 40 of FIG- 7 is similar to bag 30 except that its keeper 42 is formed with two opposed notches 43 and 44,

and the tail layers are held in a longitudinal seal 41. A loop. 45 is formed between seal lines 46 and 41, and a. perforation line 47 outlines keeper 42 for separation from bag 40.

Bag 50 of FIG. 8 lacks the inwardly folded side panels and is formed of two thicknesses. A perforation line 51 outlines keeper 52 which has a loop end 53 formed at the closed edge of bag 50. A esal line 54 extends along the tail of keeper 52 and is spaced from the loop end 53 to close off a loop in lkeeper 52. A preferred notch 55 near loop 53 completes keeper 52. As bag 50 is opened, keeper 52 remains attached to either the front or back panel until the bag is ready for closure. Then keeper 52 is torn from bag 50 and the tail is wrapped around the neck of the bag and pulled through loop 53 such as previously described. Keeper 52 is made of only two thicknesses of plastic material, but has been found to have adequate strength particularly if made sufiiciently wide. FIG. 9 shows a top view of a bag 50 and keeper 52.

Bag 60 of FIG. also has plain front and rear panels without folded-in edge panels, but has a folded down collar 61 along top 62. This provides a four-thickness region along the top of bag 60, and keeper 63 is preferably formed in such region. Seal lines 64 and 65 are spaced apart to form a closed loop 66 and a sealed tail 67, and a perforation line 68 defining a preferred notch 69 allows keeper 63 to be torn away from bag 60 and used for closing bag 60.

Bag 70 of FIG. 11 has a bottom 71 having folded-in panels forming a four-thickness region from which keeper 72 is preferably formed. Seal lines 73 and 74 form a the manufacture of said bag when the layers of said bag are substantially coplanar, said closure comprising:

(a) a. line of perforations formed through said layers of said bag to outline a keeper removable from said bag along said perforation line; '(b) one end of said keeper being formed as a loop; (c) said layers being fused together in a region of said keeper spaced from said loop end of said keeper to close said loop; ((1) the end of said keeper opposite said loop being formed as a tail long enough for Wrapping around the neck of said bag and drawing through said loop; (e) said loop and said tail being wide enough to be drawn down to substantially narrower widths where said loop and tail interengage when said tail is pulled tightly through said loop; and (f) said drawn interengagement of said tail and said loop being secure enough to hold said bag closed. 2. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said perforation line forms a notch in the edge of said keeper located at said region of interengagement when said tail is pulled tightly through said loop. I

3. The bag closure of claim 2 wherein said perforation line forms a pair of said notches confronting each looped keeper 72 having a sealed tail and separable from other on opposite edges of said keeper.

4. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said fusion region extends the length of said tail.

5. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said perforation line is formed in a folded region of said bag having four of said layers.

6. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said layers are fused together at said loop end of said keeper layers.

85 sealing the tail, and a seal line 86 surrounding keeper 82 for holding bag 80 closed after keeper 82 is removed by tearing away along perforation line 87.

The illustrated embodiments show that the inventive keeper can be formed in many ways. It can even be made as a straight strip that is manually folded in the middle to form a loop for receiving the tail that is wrapped around the neck of the bag. However, cutting and heating equipment are readily available in bag-making machines, and the preferred seal lines can be applied to form a closed loop and a sealed tail without appreciably adding to the expense or complexity of the bag-making process. The inventive keeper is preferably made an inch or more wide, and can exceed two inches in width. The notched loop allows a relatively wide keeper to be drawn down to a much narrower, tighter constriction that provides a secure grip.

The inventive bag closure is not only simple and easily made on present bag-making equipment, but its keeper is attached to the bag so it cannot be lost and is ready for use when needed. It does not require any additional material or parts that must be handled, accounted for and packaged with or attached to the bag. Accordingly, the inventive bag closure meets the existing needs for simplicity, economy, convenience, and security.

Persons wishing to practice the invention should remember that other embodiments and variations can be adapted to particular circumstances. Even though one point of view is necessarily chosen in describing and defining the invention, this should not inhibit broader or related embodiments being beyond the semantic orientation of this application but falling within the spirit of the invention. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate the diiferent bag shapes, sizes and circum'-' stances to which the inventive bag closure can be adapted.

I claim: 1. A plastic bag and closure formed therefrom during 7. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said keeper is formed along the top margin of said bag.

8. The bag closure of claim 7 wherein said keeper is formed in a folded region of said bag having four of said layers.

9. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said keeper is formed along the side margin ofvsaid bag.

10. The bag closure of claim 9 wherein said keeper is formed in a folded region of said bag having four of said layers.

11. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said keeper is formed along a bottom margin of said bag.

12. The bag closure of claim 11 wherein said keeper: is formed in a folded region of said bag having four of said layers.

13. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said fusion region extends the length of said tail, and said perforation line forms a notch in the edge of said keeper located at said region of interengagement when said tail is pulled tightly through said loop.

14. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said perforation line is formed in a folded region of said bag having four of said layers, and said perforation line forms a notch in the edge of said keeper located at said region of inter-engagement when said tail is pulled tightly through said loop. 1

15. The bag closure of claim 1 wherein said layers are fused together at said loop end of said keeper, and said perforation line forms a notch in the edge of said keeper located at said region of inter-engagement when said tail is pulled tightly through said loop.

3/1927 Sapp 22962 3,186,626 6/1965 Shvetz 229-62 3,217,991 11/1965 Shvetz 229-62 JOSEPH R. LECIiAIR, Primary Examiner S. P. GARBE, Primary Examiner 

